One of India's most famous writers offers an articulate and accessible introduction to Indian spirituality. This collection of essays by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore is based on a lecture series he presented at Harvard University. Oriented towards a Western readership, the essays examine different aspects of Indian culture and philosophy. They address as their central concerns the relationship between humanity and the divine, the ultimate goal of human existence, and how this goal can be achieved. An author whose creative works are infused with spirituality, Tagore is uniquely qualified to communicate the sacred underpinnings of Indian life to the outsider. Sadhana is an enjoyable and edifying read.

Through in-depth analysis of musical theatre choreography and choreographers, Making Broadway Dance challenges long-held perceptions of Broadway dance as kitsch, disposable, a dance form created without artistic process. Setting out to demonstrate that musical theatre dance is not a monolith but rather multi-varied in terms of dance styles, aesthetics and methodologies, author Liza Gennaro provides insights into how Broadway dance is made. By examining choreography for musical theatre through the lens of dance studies, script analysis, movement research and dramaturgical inquiry, she treads in uncharted territory by offering a close examination of a dance form that has heretofore received only the most superficial interrogation. She also explores how musical theatre choreographers create within the parameters of librettos, enhance character development and build dance languages that inform and propel narrative. By considering influences from ballet, modern, postmodern, Jazz, social and global dance, she reveals a rich understanding of musical theatre dance. This book exposes the choreographic systems of some of Broadway's most influential dance-makers including George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, Katherine Dunham, Bob Fosse, Savion Glover, Sergio Trujillo, Steven Hoggett and Camille Brown, and is essential reading for theatre and dance scholars, students, practitioners, and Broadway fans.

Few books or writings are available on Mother Kali, the primordial Goddess and the Divine Mother of the Universe. Twenty-four powerful representations which attend Her remarkable personage and which are eternal portions of Her august form are discussed. Describing many of Her divine aspects and rendering them clear to the contemporary reader, demystifying perplexing issues and removing age-old fallacies while still maintaining the rich meaning and symbology of Her astounding Presence.

Tantric traditions in both Buddhism and Hinduism are thriving throughout Asia and in Asian diasporic communities around the world, yet they have been largely ignored by Western scholars until now. This collection of original essays fills this gap by examining the ways in which Tantric Buddhist traditions have changed over time and distance as they have spread across cultural boundaries in Asia. The book is divided into three sections dedicated to South Asia, Central Asia, and East and Southeast Asia. The essays cover such topics as the changing ideal of masculinity in Buddhist literature, the controversy triggered by the transmission of the Indian Buddhist deity Heruka to Tibet in the 10th century, and the evolution of a Chinese Buddhist Tantric tradition in the form of the True Buddha School. The book as a whole addresses complex and contested categories in the field of religious studies, including the concept of syncretism and the various ways that the change and transformation of religious traditions can be described and articulated. The authors, leading scholars in Tantric studies, draw on a wide array of methodologies from the fields of history, anthropology, art history, and sociology. Tantric Traditions in Transmission and Translation is groundbreaking in its attempt to look past religious, linguistic, and cultural boundaries.

Mr. Heimsath presents here an intellectual history of the social reform movement among Hindus in India in the century between Ram Mohun Roy and Gandhi. Treating separately each major province in which reform movements flourished, he shows the many ways in which social reform was effected. Originally published in 1964. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

1884. Translated by F. Max Muller. The Sacred Books of the East series, comprising fifty volumes, has translations of key sacred texts of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, and Islam. The series was edited by the famous linguist Max Muller, who also produced many of the translations and were the foundational documents for the new discipline known as the comparative science of religions. The Upanishads Part II contains: The Katha-Upanishad; The Mundaka-Upanishad; The Taittiriyaka-Upanishad; The Brihadaranyaka-Upanishad; The Svetasvatara-Upanishad; The Prasna-Upanishad; and The Maitrayana-Brahmana-Upanishad. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

‘In death thy glory in heaven, in victory thy glory on earth.  Arise therefore, Arjuna, with thy soul ready to fight’

The Bhagavad Gita is an intensely spiritual work that forms the cornerstone of the Hindu faith, and is also one of the masterpieces of Sanskrit poetry. It describes how, at the beginning of a mighty battle between the Pandava and Kaurava armies, the god Krishna gives spiritual enlightenment to the warrior Arjuna, who realizes that the true battle is for his own soul.

Juan Mascaró’s translation of The Bhagavad Gita captures the extraordinary aural qualities of the original Sanskrit. This edition features a new introduction by Simon Brodbeck, which discusses concepts such as dehin, prakriti and Karma.

Since the beginning of humanity, fables and stories have been the means of imparting instruction and amusement to man. The stories were designed to illustrate and exemplify precept for human conduct. After centuries, these stories eventually found themselves in print. They are divided into four groups: Sanskrit or Hindoo, Arabic or Persian, Western or European, and American. Of these, Sanskrit or Hindoo groups of stories are the oldest and probably served as the basis of Arabic or Persian fables, which again serve as the source for many European storytellers.

Here is the first translation into English of the Basava Purana, a fascinating collection of tales that sums up and characterizes one of the most important and most radical religious groups of South India. The ideas of the Virasaivas, or militant Saivas, are represented in those tales by an intriguing mix of outrageous excess and traditional conservatism. Written in Telugu in the thirteenth century, the Basava Purana is an anthology of legends of Virasaivas saints and a hagiography of Basavesvara, the twelfth-century Virasaiva leader. This translation makes accessible a completely new perspective on this significant religious group. Although Telugu is one of the major cultural traditions of India, with a classical literature reaching back to the eleventh century, until now there has been no translation or exposition of any of the Telugu Virasaiva works in English. The introduction orients the reader to the text and helps in an understanding of the poet's point of view. The author of the Basava Purana, Palkuriki Somanatha, is revered as a saint by Virasaivas in Andhra and Karnataka. His books are regarded as sacred texts, and he is also considered to be a major poet in Telugu and Kannada.

Originally published in 1990.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

It has become increasingly clear that an adequate understanding of the contemporary processes of social, cultural, and religious change is contingent on an appreciation of the growing impact of social media. Utilising results of an unprecedented global study, this volume explores the ways in which young adults in seven different countries engage with digital and social media in religiously significant ways. Presenting and analysing the findings of the global research project Young Adults and Religion in a Global Perspective (YARG), an international panel of contributors shed new light on the impact of social media and its associated technologies on young people's religiosities, worldviews, and values. Case studies from China, Finland, Ghana, Israel, Peru, Poland, and Turkey are used to demonstrate how these developments are progressing, not just in the West, but across the world. This book is unique in that it presents a truly macroscopic perspective on trends in religion amongst young adults. As such, it will be of great interest to scholars working in religious studies, digital media, communication studies, sociology, cultural studies, theology and youth studies.

Most Americans know about the "Hare Krishnas" only from encounters in airports or from tales of their activities in the East Village and Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s. This entertaining and sensitive book deepens our knowledge by tracing the paths of those Western Hare Krishnas who eventually traveled to or lived in India. The charismatic leader of the sect, the Indian monk Swami Bhaktivedanta, aimed to save Westerners from what he saw as materialism and atheism by converting them to worship of the Hindu god Krishna. In addition, he hoped that Western disciples would inspire Indians to rediscover their own religious heritage. Charles Brooks describes in full detail the work of the "reverse missionaries" in the town of Vrindaban--which, since it is traditionally considered to be identical with Krishna's spiritual world, is one of the holiest places in India and the site of some of its most engaging rituals.

Have the Western Hare Krishnas really become part of Indian culture? Can it be that Indians accept these foreigners as essentially Hindu and even Brahman? Brooks answers in a way that radically challenges our accepted images of Indian social dynamics. Analyzing the remarkable success of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and their temple complex in Vrindaban (where Bhaktivedanta was buried in 1977), Brooks describes the intricate social, economic, and religious relationships between Westerners and Indians. He demonstrates that social rank in the town is based not only on caste but also on religious competence: many Indians of Vrindaban believe, in Bhaktivedanta's words, that "Krishna is for all."

Originally published in 1989.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Bhagavad Gita, or 'Song of the Spirit', is the best known book of India's national epic The Mahabharata. Based on a dialogue between Bhagavan Krishna and Prince Arjuna on the eve of a great battle, it is held to be the essence of Hindu spirituality, sacred literature and yoga, as well as exploring the great universal themes of courage, honour, death, love, virtue and fulfilment. Of interest to the large number of contemporary spiritual seekers - of any faith and none - who want to read the world's most important sacred texts, and to learn from their wisdom. Also useful for scholars of Vedic literature and students.

Globally known as Amma, meaning "Mother," Mata Amritanandamayi has developed a massive transnational humanitarian organization based in hugs. She is familiar to millions as the "hugging saint," a moniker that derives from her elaborate darshan programs wherein nearly every day ten thousand people are embraced by the guru one at a time, events that routinely last ten to twenty hours without any rest for her. Although she was born in 1953 as a low-caste girl in a South Indian fishing village, today millions revere her as guru and goddess, a living embodiment of the divine on earth.
"Reflections of Amma" focuses on communities of Amma's devotees in the United States, showing how they endeavor to mirror their guru's behaviors and transform themselves to emulate the ethos of the movement. This study argues that "inheritors" and "adopters" of Hindu traditions differently interpret Hindu goddesses, Amma, and her relation to feminism and women's empowerment because of their inherited religious, cultural, and political dispositions. In this insightful ethnographic analysis, Amanda J. Lucia discovers how the politics of American multiculturalism reifies these cultural differences in "de facto congregations," despite the fact that Amma's embrace attempts to erase communal boundaries in favor of global unity.

Translated from original Marathi by Indira Kher, this work is a verse composition containing the known facts about Shri Sai Baba's life at Shirdi, and also his teachings seeks to meet a long-felt need. This is the Bible of Sai devotes in every sense of the term, in it's veracity, sanctity, faith and devotion that it inspires and the deep satisfaction, a sense of fulfilment that it brings to the devotee, it has no equal. Its sanctity derives from the fact that its idea was conceived during Baba's lifetime and with his blessings and express permission. For those unaware of Shri Sai Satcharita, it is necessary to add that in the original it runs into 53 chapters and contains over 9,000 verses. Every chapter has a judicious mixture of philosophy, stories and anecdotes along with the Baba's teachings.

The Bhagavad Gita is the best known and best loved of all non-Judeo-Christian scriptures. More than 50 editions are available in the United States alone, and the Gita continues to gain new adherents. Yet there is little agreement about the Gita's message. Sharpe shows how the Bhagavad Gita has made an enormous impression upon Western thought during the past two centuries, and how reciprocal Western interpretations have had a tremendous impact upon Indian politics and society.

Each card in this deck highlights a particular deity in the Hindu pantheon and provides corresponding mantras, meditations, prayers and blessings. These cards reveal a who's who in the spiritual world, and identify which roles particular gods and goddesses play in the universe. For greater intelligence, petition Saraswati or for the removal of obstacles, invoke the presence of Ganesh by chanting his mantra.

What is Indian Philosophy? Why has India been excluded from the history of philosophy? Richard King provides an introduction to the main schools of Hindu and Buddhist thought, emphasising the living history of interaction and debate between the various traditions. The book outlines the broad spectrum of Indian philosophical schools and questions prevailing assumptions about the 'mythical' ahistorical and 'theological' nature of Indian thought. Central philosophical questions are addressed: what really exists? How do we know what we know? Can we trust our perceptions of reality? What are we and where do we come from? Early chapters discuss the nature of philosophy in general, examning the shifting usage of the term throughout history. The author argues that a single definition or characterisation of the subject matter is impossible and that histories of philosophy remain tied to an ethnocentric and colonial perspective so long as they ignore the possibility of philosophical thought 'East of the Suez'. This highlights the need for a post-colonial and global approach to philosophy. Key features * Thematic approach rather than separate chapters on various schools * Emphasis on history of interaction/debate between the various trends * Introductory and concluding chapters on exclusion of 'India' from history of philosophy